Popstar Una Healy is back behind the mic with a new sound and a new name. Well, an old new name. She joined Ray D’Arcy on Wednesday’s show to talk music, motherhood and releasing her own material under her original name.

“…Going back to my roots with the music and everything, it felt nice to revert back, for work, to my maiden name.”

Ray D’Arcy & Una Healy

Ray and Una go back quite a way themselves – all the way back to her appearance on the televised singing competition You’re a Star 15 years ago. No stranger to hard graft and hard knocks, Una remembers her days on the audition circuit, a time she feels helps her empathize with contestants in her role as judge on RTÉ’s The Voice.

“…it was kind of hurtful at the time, thinking maybe I’m not good enough and all that, but I was so determined and loved it so much. I had my passion for my music, continued writing and I was like, I know I’ll get there one day…”

Though she always saw herself as a singer-songwriter, a random Google search led her to the audition that would change her fortunes and see her become one fifth of girl band The Saturdays.

“When I went and did the audition, I wasn’t nervous. I just felt, you know what, sure I probably won’t get this.”

But get it she did and the rest is pop history. Ten years and a stellar career later, it’s time for a break and a relaunch of Una Healy the solo artist. Then of course, there’s her role as mum to Aoife Belle (5) and Tadhg (2) to keep her busy so it’s all systems go for 2017.

Una gave us a taste of her fresh sound live in studio, playing her new song Battlelines and putting her own stamp on Jimmy McCarthy’s Ride On. Catch her in action at this year’s Harvest Festival in Enniskillen and Westport House this coming August.

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